Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



v No. 51,243;-

W. TIBBALS.

Cartridge.

Patented Nov. 28, 1865:

PEI'ERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C. r

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcn.

WILLIAM TIBBALS, OF SOUTH COVENTRY, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,243, dated November28, 1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM TIBBALS, of SouthCoventry, in the county of Tolland and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a transverse sectiontaken on the line a; x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the cartridgeshown separately, with the anvil attached.

Similar letters refer to like parts in the various figures.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing an arm as to holda loose anvil tightly in the cartridge-shell, while the same is beingfired.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

In using copper cartridges, the case is usu- V ally thrown away afterbeing once used. My

invention has for its object the using of the same shell repeatedly, andthus reducing the expense of furnishing the ammunition. In

order to accomplish this object, I take the shell B, constructed in theusual manner, and cut or punch a small hole in the center of its base,as shown in Fig. 3. I then provide an anvil, a, consisting of a solidpiece of metal recessed on its rear face so as to leave a nipple, c, atits center, having its end flush with the face thereof, as shown clearlyin Fig. 3 and in section in Fig. 1. This anvil is then placed in theshell 13, bringing the end of the nipple oppositethe hole in the base ofthe shell, when the latter is charged with powder and shot or ball, asthe case may be, and a cap is placed on the nipple; or, the cap may beplaced on the nipple before the anvil is put into the shell. Thecartridge thus prepared is then inserted in the bore at the breech inthe same manner as an ordinary metallic cartridge.

' It is obvious that if the cap be now struck by the hammer, the anvil,not being secured or held in any manner, would yield to the blow of thehammer, and that the cap would not be certain to be exploded. To remedythis difi'iculty, I provide the movable piece or clamp b, which is soarranged in the breech of the gun that it can be pressed by the lever 0against the side of the shell B, where the anvil a is located, withsufficient force to hold the anvil firmly in place while it receives theblow of the hammer. When the charge has been fired, the clamp isloosened by depressing the lever, and the shell can then be withdrawnand recharged, and in this manner the shell can be used a great numberof times.

It will be understood that the breech will be closed by any suitablemeans, to withstand the force of the charge, and that any style ofbreech-loading device may be used for that purpose-my device beingintended only to hold the anvil in the shell.

It is obvious that in those guns which have their barrels stationary, ashere shown, the clamping device must be movable, but that in guns havingthe barrel movable the clam pin g device may be made stationary. It isalso obvious that the clamping device need not be constructed in allcases as here shown, this being intended simply as one method ofillustrating the idea, but that any mechanical equivalent of this devicemay be substituted and made to answer the samepurpose, it only beingnecessary to bring sufficient pressure upon the anvil to hold it inplace while being struck by the hammer or a sliding bolt, in case thelatter be used.

It is further obvious that by these means shells that have been used asordinary fixed ammunition, known as the copper cartridge, may be used inthis way by simply making a hole of proper size in their base andinserting the anvil a, as already described- And thus, by having one ofthese anvils, a person is enabled to preserve the old shells, which arenow thrown away as useless, and use them over and over again with looseammunition, and thus a great saving in ammunition is efi'ected.

Where the primed copper cartridge is used, it frequently happens,especially in the remote districts, that the supply becomes exhaustedand the arm is thereby rendered useless, but by my invention thisdifficulty is entirely removed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is N Securing aloose anvil in the cartridge-shell, when placed in the gun-barrel, bymeans of pressure applied thereto, substantially as described.

WILLIAM TIBBALS.

Witnesses:

BRIGHAM PAYNE, Roar. J. WHITE.

